O'Brien is six games into his initial season. LeBeau, 77, has devoted 56 years of his life to the NFL.

With the middle-of-the-pack Texans (3-3) having lost two consecutive heartbreakers heading into a "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, O'Brien mostly stuck to his normal routine.

Video breakdown, practices and news conferences were repeated as Heinz Field and the Terrible Towels awaited. But O'Brien also carved out a little time to teach the Texans about the Steelers' storied history. And the six-game coach paid respects to one of the longest-lasting names pro football has produced.

"A big part of the history of the National Football League is Dick LeBeau," O'Brien said. "Fourteen years as a player, 42 as a coach, Hall of Fame player, 56 years in the National Football League."

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Romeo Crennel vs. Dick LeBeau

Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, 67, has spent 32 years coaching in the NFL. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, 77, has devoted 56 years to pro football, including 42 as a coach and 14 as a cornerback. The duo are two of the longest-standing coaches in the game. With neither of their defenses excelling through six games in 2014, Crennel's two-gap, 3-4 attack and LeBeau's famed zone blitz will face off on "Monday Night Football" at Heinz Field. Comparing the defenses this season through Week 6:

Texans Steelers

Category No. Rank No. Rank

Avg. points 20 4 23.2 19

Avg. yards 397.2 27 337 12

Avg. rushing yards 125.7 21 111.2 14

Avg. passing yards 271.5 28 225.8 10

Takeaways 14 1 6 22

Third-down percentage 38.0 9 35.2 6

NFL coaching bios

Crennel

2014: Defensive coordinator, Texans

2012: Head coach, Chiefs

2011: Interim head coach/defensive coordinator, Chiefs

2010: Defensive coordinator, Chiefs

2005-08: Head coach, Browns

2004: Defensive coordinator, Patriots

2002-03: Defensive coordinator/defensive line, Patriots

2001: Defensive coordinator, Patriots

2000: Defensive coordinator/defensive line, Browns

1997-99: Defensive line, Jets

1993-96: Defensive line, Patriots

1990-92: Defensive line, Giants

1983-89: Special teams, Giants

1981-82: Special teams/defensive assistant, Giants

LeBeau

2004-14: Defensive coordinator, Steelers

2003: Assistant head coach, Bills

2000-02: Head coach, Bengals

1997-2000: Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, Bengals

1995-96: Defensive coordinator, Steelers

1992-94: Secondary coach, Steelers

1984-91: Defensive coordinator/defensive backs, Bengals

1980-83: Defensive backs, Bengals

1976-79: Defensive backs, Packers

1973-75: Special team, Eagles

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O'Brien recited the foundation of LeBeau's résumé by memory. The Texans coach also rolled off previous years (2007, '08, '09, '10) he stared at LeBeau from the opposing sideline when O'Brien was a New England Patriot and LeBeau was in his black and gold.

The first word out of O'Brien's mouth when LeBeau's name was mentioned this week: unbelievable.

"I mean, he's the guy that's credited with inventing the zone blitz," O'Brien said. "Going against him is a very difficult matchup - going against his scheme and his players. (I have) the utmost respect for Dick LeBeau and what he's meant to this league."

Crennel's credentials

LeBeau won't be the only defensive coordinator with an NFL legacy Monday night. Romeo Crennel, 67, has five Super Bowl rings to LeBeau's two and 32 NFL coaching years. When LeBeau set his career high with nine interceptions as a cornerback for the Detroit Lions in 1970 - he played in an NFL-record 171 consecutive games at the position - Crennel was breaking into his new profession as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky.

"Coach Crennel is an excellent coach," LeBeau said. "He always has his players prepared. They're always aggressive, and they play smart. He's done a great job for many years."

It took five job changes and four teams for Crennel to finally reach the pros in 1981 with the Giants. But memorable stints with New York and New England - linked with coaching legends Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick - allowed Crennel to ascend as LeBeau became a fixture with Cincinnati, then Pittsburgh.

Praise from Tomlin

"I've known both guys, obviously, for a long time," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who interned with Crennel during the late 1990s when Tomlin was coaching college ball. "Both guys are football lovers. Both guys are really good, clean, thoughtful communicators.

"Both guys have a real passion and love for the game, and they convey it consistently to players. They may do it in their own way, but they have a real consistent, passionate love for the game. … I think the players feed off that."

Crennel has lived off his two-gap, 3-4 defense, which has yet to lock in with the Texans. LeBeau's 3-4 has long been linebacker- and blitz-heavy, with disciplined athletes constantly blending in-the-moment experimentation with old-school physical power.

"Just (with) the multiple blitz schemes, they can come from anywhere, and they can attack any gap," Texans running back Arian Foster said. "They've always just been hard to gauge where it's coming from. They run it so well.

"You've got somebody like Troy Polamalu, who is a future Hall of Famer. He's kind of like a wild card. He just does what he wants to do sometimes. Eighty percent of the time, those gambles pay off because he knows what he's doing. It's a very calculated risk that he takes. I have the utmost respect for his game. I love his game."

Crennel has his own Polamalu. LeBeau would take him off the Texans' hands without blinking.

He'll take Watt

"There's no defensive coordinator alive at any level that wouldn't want to have a J.J. Watt on his team," LeBeau said. "He's a tremendous talent. You can do anything with him you want, (and) he's going to make plays. They're the kind of players that make coaches smart. They're fortunate to have him down there."

Fifty-six years into his Hall of Fame career, LeBeau can be wowed. But despite all the changes to the game, a coach on his second go-around with the Steelers insisted defenses have barely changed and likely won't. Rules have been altered, quarterbacks are more protected than ever, many teams have scaled back their running attacks, and passing is often everything.

LeBeau's philosophy

Yet LeBeau's focus and defensive theories remain untouched: Find the ball. Stop the movement. Take a man to the ground whenever necessary.

"We're all the sum total of our experiences," LeBeau said. "I have benefited from all my experiences, playing and coaching. I've been blessed to be influenced and around some great people.

"Sometimes I reflect that help better than others. But I've been blessed with the people that I've associated with."

Brian T. Smith is a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle. He was a Houston Texans beat writer from 2013-15 and an Astros beat writer from 2012-13. The New Orleans-area native previously covered the NBA's Utah Jazz (The Salt Lake Tribune) and Portland Trail Blazers (The Columbian), among other beats. He loves music, books, movies, history, nature, coffee and steak.

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